'88 5KCSTQ, Worth the hassle?

[Efraim Gavrilovich]

Yes, Christopher is right. These cars do break and they could become a money
pits. Hey, I just paid over CDN$200 for a piece of rubber hose with two
fittings (high pressure pump-to-rack). But, these cars are an epitome of a
driving pleasure. They are a marvel of automotive engineering (never mind
that few engineers on the design team were either high on drugs or half
asleep at the time). When you get behind the wheel and start rolling you
just know you have a great car. You would forget all its idiosyncrasies and
repair bills the moment you downshift into third and catch the surprise on
the face of the guy in his souped up Honda in your rearview mirror. And
don't forget, you will get your pleasure 365 days a year, whether it's
sunny, rainy or snowy. The Quattro provides all-weather driving joy, you
would drive to work at your normal pace after the snow storm and amuse
yourself by counting these SUVs and front wheel drive cars in the ditches
along the way. The last, but not the least, these cars are very safe. Many
people on this list or their friends walked away with no more than a few
scratches and bumps after being in serious accident and that without the
benefit of an airbag. Twice Japanese cars rear ended my TQ and both had to
be towed away with demolished front ends while my rear bumper had just a few
scratches.
Just something for you to chew on, decision is yours.
Cheers,
Efraim Gavrilovich
1988 5KTQ 337,000km (209K mi), 1.8 Bar
1990 90 114,000km (71K mi)
Vancouver, Canada
----- Original Message -----
From: "Christopher Ritchie" <critchie1 at hotmail.com>
To: <SLBaker at cbre.com>
Cc: <quattro at audifans.com>
Sent: Saturday, January 12, 2002 5:16 PM
Subject: '88 5KCSTQ, Worth the hassle?


> I am
> now curious if I am researching a money pit, this will not be my
> primary
> vehicle, but I would like a bit of reliability without
> outrageous
> maintenance costs. I also really happen to like this particular
> vintage of
> Audi. Should I just get a Toyota and never have any fun behind
> the wheel? I
> am sure a lot depends on the particular vehicle, I just hope
> this era is not
> particularly bad. I really appreciate the feedback.
>
>
> I think I remember that the service record is spotty and they want more
than
> $3K for the car.  Run away from that car.  It's not worth half that.
>
> They are also money pits.  Engine, standard transmission, and
differentials
> are bulletproof.  Body won't rust because it's galvanized.  Styling still
> passes for contemporary.  And it is a full sized German luxury sedan.  But
> everything else breaks on the car.  You won't believe the things that
break.
>   Dealers can't or won't fix them.  But that's OK since they're terrible
and
> expensive.  Parts prices are outrageous unless you develop other sources.
> Used parts are plentiful because the junkyards are full of nice examples
of
> these cars.  Gee, I wonder why?  Some of the engineering and repairs are
> idiosyncratic, so you need to follow this list so you can do the work
> yourself.  Or, find someone you can trust who knows these cars.  If you're
> not willing to invest time and money, get something else.
>
>
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